Persons often desire to hang pictures on the walls of their dwellings. Pictures can be hung by various techniques. The most common technique employed for the hanging of pictures is to extend a wire across the back side of the picture frame. This wire will extend outwardly from the back of the picture frame so as to engage a pair of nails and/or hooks affixed to the wall upon which the picture is to be hung. This wire will engage the nails and/or hooks so as to rest at a desired location on the wall of the dwelling.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to install pictures in a proper manner. Often, it is virtually impossible to position the nails and/or hooks in a properly horizontal position. Whenever the nails and/or hooks are out of horizontal alignment, then the picture will hang at a tilt. Often, the nails and/or hooks are installed and replaced several times until the picture is reasonably level.
It is often difficult to place these nails into the wall. Often, a person can find the desired location to install the nail but be unsuccessful in actually nailing the nail into the wall. Often, the nails have an inadequate length to properly grip and hammer. During the course of hammering the nail into the wall, the nail may not reside at a proper upwardly tilted angle. As such, it becomes more difficult to install the framed object on the wall. If the nails do not assume a properly upwardly tilted orientation, then the wire can slide off of the surface of the nail.
Often, when one picture is installed perfectly through the prior art techniques, the installation of a second framed object on the wall becomes more difficult. It is often difficult to properly space and align the second framed object with the first framed object. Furthermore, if several framed items are to be placed on the wall, the spacing of each of the items from an adjacent framed object should be relatively even or symmetrical. This is quite difficult considering the requirements of conventional installation techniques.
In the past, various U.S. patents have issued which describe various devices that can be used to facilitate the installation of pictures and framed objects on a wall. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,573, issued on Apr. 14, 1992, to Ehling et al. describes a picture hanging device having holes arranged for the purpose of placing nails on both sides. This device includes measuring indicia and a bubble level. A notch is provided so as to allow for a proper centering of the device. Conventional picture hooks are frictionally engaged at predetermined points along the upper edge of the device by a rod which is attached to the device parallel to and spaced apart from the upper edge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,574, issued on Apr. 14, 1992, to K. Levy describes a picture hanging tool having a measuring rule and a slot so as to hold nails and bubble levels. This device employs a mechanism for taking linear measurements between two points on the flat vertical surface. A drawer is provided in the device so as to allow nails to be placed in an easily accessible position. Slots are provided along the ruler so as to receive the nails for the purpose of hanging the picture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,756, issued on Jun. 26, 1984, to G. D. Greene describes a device for hanging pictures which includes an elongated metal member, an opening extending through the member, and a bracket having a ledge portion for supporting a picture hook in the opening in the metal member. Adhesive tape is placed adjacent the opening so as to secure the hook on the elongated member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,510, issued on Dec. 30, 1980, to R. P. Radecki teaches an aid for hanging a picture with a pair of adjustable sliding guides for the placement of nails. This device also employs a bubble level. Slide members are carried on the cross arms to engage a hanging wire. Locating marks on the neck part indicate the top of the picture and are used to position the device at a desired wall location for the picture with the slide members locating the hangers, such as hooks.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a picture hanging device that facilitates the installation of nails and/or hooks into the wall.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a picture hanging device that assures proper horizontal alignment of the nails and/or hooks.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a picture hanging device that assures that the nails are positioned in a proper upwardly angled manner.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a picture hanging device that facilitates the measurement and installation of additional adjacent framed items.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a picture hanging device that is easy to use, easy to manufacture, and relatively inexpensive.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.